Inertia
by forever-seth
Summary: But in the moments we were together, it was catastrophic. It was beautiful, in a crude and insignificant way. One in love, the other indifferent. History between us that would never see the light of day. Maybe we were never really anything. Maybe we were everything.


The silence was always unnerving. She doesn't know why she expected anything else from a cemetery. But even the birds had seemed to stop singing, the crickets silent, only the wind whistling quietly.

The sound of knees cracking was the only noise as a slim form crouched under the willow tree. The woman brushed her hand over the simple gray headstone lain in the ground. Gently, she put the bright sunflowers next to it, a contrast to the green that seemed to cover every inch of the land.

Bella dropped to her knees with a heaviness she could hardly contain, pressing both hands on the stone, until her palms ground against the carved letters. As if she could _feel _him. As if she could convey all her love and heartbreak and sorrow to him.

"Hi Dad."

She folded, dropping to the ground, face pressed against the cold stone.

"I miss you."

Idly, her fingers traced the words infrared in the stone. _Charles Swan. Chief of Police. Beloved Father. _

"Got you sunflowers. It's sunflower season, but I still had to drive all the way to Port Angeles to get them. I don't mind though. The drive was pretty."

Without consent, her eyes started to burn, but she blinked rapidly to avoid the tears. She didn't like to cry here.

Her hand flat against the headstone, she waited until the cold seeped into her palm. It seemingly slid up her wrist, to her shoulder, until the cold was _in _her. In her marrow, her blood, her heart.

Logically, she knew that cold didn't travel that way. That it didn't take away the heat. The heat just left. It disappeared hopelessly into the stone beneath my hand, a useless attempt to warm the dead. She knew that. But why did Bella seem so filled with cold?

"I feel like everything is a sham," She whispered, hair falling over her cheeks. "I keep pretending it's okay, but…. _Nothing is okay._"

"I-I… I wish I could be there with you, Charlie." Tears slid down, over the bridge of her button nose to the ground. "I wish I were lying here with you. I wish so much."

"But I know you wouldn't want that." A smile ghosted over her lips as she sat up, wiping her eyes. Despite being alone, she distinctly felt a set of eyes. The woods were dark, behind the fence of the cemetery. It was probably one of the wolves. At least one followed her when she went off the reservation at all times. Leah was on patrol, and Bella planned to get her dinner from the diner once she left.

"I should go. I have to grab food for Lee, and… make up with Jake." Her lips half smiled. "You were right about him, Dad." The smile turned into a frown.

"He's furious with me. I went cliff diving yesterday by myself - we do it all the time. I've gone a few times alone, but he's usually on the beach watching. I didn't even jump from very high - it was the lowest cliff in all of La Push."

"I wasn't trying to hurt myself or anything," She explained, staring at the flowers. "I've been doing really well. Considering everything. You know."

There was a heartbeat of silence as she decided to leave it at that. Standing, she brushed off her knees and turned to walk away.

It had been sprinkling all day, but now it started to rain heavier. She flipped the hood of her jacket up over her brown tresses. Her hiking boots sunk into the soft ground as she made her way through the rows of headstones, the rain coming down harder now. The Swan plot was at the far left corner, a quiet and peaceful spot, but a bit of a walk from the front gate.

She rounded the last bend, wondering if Lee would meet her at the car. Bella know she didn't mind the rain, but she wanted to drive her to the diner and buy her a burger. She doubted she could convince Leah - the woman hated the truck.

Speaking of, the red beast was waiting for me with warm heat. She picked up the pace, lifting her head to gauge how hard the rain was coming down.

A glint caught her eye and her eyes flicked over. A black Mercedes Benz was parked perfectly next to the truck. An all too familiar sight. Her breath was squeezed out of her lungs as she stopped abruptly.

"No," She whispered, horrified. Something moved in her peripheral and Bella whipped her head to the right.

The woman standing there stared at her with shocked. ochre eyes, framed by long, dark eyelashes. The woman's lips fell open, surprise rippling over her features. Dark hair framed her soft cheeks, unusually smoothed and tamed. The woman in front of her looked far different from the ever young and carefree girl as Bella had known her.

She was dressed in all black, her high neck blouse tucked into a form fitting pair of slacks. Somehow, her heels managed not to sink into the black ground. Her dainty hands wrapped around the handle of a black umbrella, shielding her from the rain. They were two opposites, staring at each other with the exact same shock.

"Alice?" Bella croaked, finding her fingers suddenly shaking.

"_Bella?" _Alice spluttered. "You're _alive_!

Black dots swarmed her vision as Bella reminded herself to breathe. She sucked in a breath, stepping back and almost slipping in the mud.

"Bella," Alice repeated, taking a step forward. "I need your help."

Dread sank to the bottom of her stomach, the world suddenly spinning uncontrollably as Alice continued.

"It's Edward."


End file.
